Practical discussion on contemporary life challenges from an ancient perspective.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

REVIVAL IN THE LAND

“The workmen did their work, and through them the repairs
progressed. They restored God's temple to its specifications and reinforced it.
When they finished,
they presented the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, who made articles
for the Lord's temple with it-articles for ministry and for making burnt
offerings, and ladles and articles of gold and silver. They regularly offered
burnt offerings in the Lord's temple throughout Jehoiada's life.” (2 Chronicles
24:13-14 HCSB)

Revival
comes to the kingdom
of Judah. This is a
Scriptural portrayal of the spiritual principle taught in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14,
“If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I
command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on My
people, and My people who are called by My name humble
themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will
hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”That is what happened to Judah then, and it is what needs to happen to America
today.

Revival
is rooted in repentance. Repentance literally means a change of mind. It
involves turning—turning away from sin and turning to God. When a young man by the name of Joash came to
reign in Jerusalem,
this descendant of David likewise had David’s heart for the Lord, and led the
people back to God in repentance.If we
want revival in our life, revival in our church and revival in our land, then
there are three dimensions of revival that we need to recognize.

REVIVAL
MEANS WE REPAIR THE HOUSE OF GOD (v.1-13)

“Then the king and Jehoiada gave it to
those in charge of the labor on the Lord's temple, who were hiring stonecutters
and carpenters to renovate the Lord's temple, also blacksmiths and coppersmiths
to repair the Lord's temple.The workmen did their work, and through them
the repairs progressed. They restored God's temple to its specifications and
reinforced it.”(v.12-13)

The spark that would ignite this
revival was provided by one person—Joash.The Bible says, “Afterward, Joash
took it to heart to renovate the Lord's temple.” (v.4)Before the people of God returned
corporately to a state of spiritual revival, there was a rekindling of passion
for God on the individual level.Revival always
begins there. One person decides to get thoroughly right with God and they
become the catalyst. In this case it was Joash. Are we willing to be that
spark? Don’t sit around waiting—even
praying-- for revival to come to America.Draw a circle on the ground, kneel in that
circle and pray, “Oh God, revive everyone inside this circle!”

But
when Joash was revived, the move of the Spirit didn’t stop there—it
spread.His influence affected the
nation.The people of God repaired the
house of God.Their cold hearts became
hot for God.That leads us to our next
consideration.

REVIVAL
MEANS WE RENEW OUR HEART FOR GOD
(v.14)

“When they finished, they
presented the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, who made articles for
the Lord's temple with it-articles for ministry and for making burnt offerings,
and ladles and articles of gold and silver. They regularly offered burnt
offerings in the Lord's temple throughout Jehoiada's life.” (v.14)

Personal commitment grew to
public consecration.So long as Jehoiada
the priest was alive to stoke the fire, it continued to burn.There was regularity about their
worship.It wasn’t haphazard and
half-hearted.They were stirred up to
the point of sacrifice.Their financial
support of the ministry was the fruit of their devotion to the Lord.The heart and the wallet are connected.Jesus said, “For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21 HCSB)There has been a precipitous decline in the
giving of money and attending of worship in America today.One notices the apathy that marks much of
what is called, “worship” among those who still support the church.These are indicators of a people who need to
express repentance and experience revival.Revival will not come to the country, until there is renewal in the
churches!

REVIVAL MEANS WE REAFFIRM THE HOLINESS OF GOD(v.15-27)

“However, after Jehoiada died, the
rulers of Judah
came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them, and they abandoned the temple of Yahweh,
the God of their ancestors and served the Asherah poles and the idols. So there
was wrath against Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt
of theirs.” (v.17-18)

Satan
is always ready to nip revival in the bud.It is not easy to build a fire, but neither is it a simple matter to
tend one.If it is neglected, then it
goes out—and that is what happened when Jehoiada died.The people did not reaffirm the holiness of
God and instead turned away to other gods.How quickly the fire can go out!

The
nation was warned repeatedly, but they stubbornly refused to listen.

“Nevertheless, He sent them prophets to bring them back to
the Lord; they admonished them, but the people would not listen.The Spirit
of God took control of Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the
people and said to them, ‘This is what God says, “Why are you transgressing the
Lord's commands and you do not prosper? Because you have abandoned the Lord, He
has abandoned you.”’ But they
conspired against him and stoned him at the king's command in the courtyard of
the Lord's temple. King Joash didn't remember the kindness that
Zechariah's father Jehoiada had extended to him, but killed his son. While he
was dying, he said, ‘May the Lord see and demand an account.’” (v.19-22)

Joash would pay the price for his
unfaithfulness to God and man.He would
be assassinated after being wounded in battle.

“When
the Arameans saw that Joash had many wounds, they left him. His servants
conspired against him, and killed him on his bed, because he had shed the blood
of the sons of Jehoiada the priest. So he died, and they buried him in the city
of David, but
they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.” (v.25)

He came to this sorrowful, sinful end because he would not
heed the man of God.Who knows, but what
the Lord is speaking to you today through me—perhaps pointedly so?

Are you irritated?

“All that preacher ever talks about is money.”

“You miss a few Sundays and he makes you feel so guilty.”

“He wants me to be some kind of fanatic.He needs to get a life.The preacher doesn’t understand how life is
in the real world.Everybody doesn’t
have an easy job like his.”

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About Me

I am a mountaineer by birth--a native of Asheville, NC. For a period of ten years I lived in the Charlotte area and for the last eighteen, I have been "home." I was brought up in a Christian family. In fact, I went to church nine months before I was born! Despite the best efforts of parents and preachers, I went astray. The Prodigal Son story that Jesus told in Luke 15 became my story--a sordid life of drugs and booze and that's enough for you to know. But at the age of eighteen all I had been taught came flooding back into my mind when I saw the mess I was in. Christ changed me. I gave my life to Him and as a result have spent the last three decades preaching the Gospel. I'm not all I ought to be and certainly not what I one day shall be, but thankfully, not what I used to be! God has blessed me with a great wife, five wonderful children and so far, twelve grandchildren. To Him be the glory and praise, now and forever.